As Darkness Ensues...
by Koushirochickie
Summary: Ken finds himself in a surreal world where nothing is as it seems. But when the child of Darkness arrives, a dark past is reawakened and a fight will begin that no one anticipated...
1. A Crash In The Night

As Darkness ensues....  
  
AN: Yup, it's me again. Nope, I dun own digimon ::sniffles:: but I do own GOGGLES!!!!!! Ones that every1 wants but they can't have mwah ah ah ah! Teehee. ^_^ And I own Ken-chan. HE'S MINE MIYAKO! ALL MINE! NOT YOURS, MINE. SO GO TAKE A HUNK OF CHEESE AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR-uh, nevermind...  
  
Silence. The sound of it was nervewracking. For some odd reason, not even his feet made a noise as he walked along the winding black and white checkerboard path before him. Glacing around, he noted a deep navy sky around him, and not much else. As the path came to an end, he looked down below him. An ocean. The waves began to crash, and the sudden noise startled him, causing him to take a step back. *"Welcome to my land..."*  
  
"Who...?"  
  
*"You are the one I've been searching for...the one that can bring destruction..."*  
  
"What do you mean? Who are you?!"  
  
*"Yes, you are...you are the one...and I have you now..."*  
  
"What are you talking abo-" A sharp, seering pain ran up the back of his neck, and he clutched it as he sunk to his knees. The agony began to spread throughout his body, and he shook violently.  
  
*"Yes, that's right...others can activate what is there..."*  
  
"ARGH!"  
  
*"That's right...suffer...Ichijouji Ken..."*  
  
******  
  
"Ken? Can I say one thing?" Ken turned his violet eyes to the auburn- haired boy sitting next to him.  
  
"Go for it."  
  
"You look like shit."  
  
"Arigatou." He grumbled, rubbing his already red eyes.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I didn't get much sleep last night." Unconsciously rubbing the nape of his neck, he turned his attention back to Daisuke. "I think it was a nightmare, but I can't even remember."  
  
"Well, you should go home and get some sleep...you look horrible."  
  
"I feel horrible."  
  
"Then get moving! If you need your beauty sleep, go get it." Daisuke winked, and Ken nodded slightly, then yawned.  
  
"Alright, I'm going..."  
  
******  
  
Takeru glanced over at Hikari, who was quieter than usual. "Hikari?"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"Nostano?" Sighing, she replied,  
  
"Nanimo." And leaned back a bit. Takeru nodded, respecting her wish to keep whatever was bothering her to herself.  
  
"You do know that if you want to talk, I'll listen."  
  
"I know, but there's nothing to really talk about. I'm fine."  
  
"If you say so..." He was caught off guard by Hikari resting her head on his shoulder. Flushing instantly, he coughed and gulped. She grinned at his obvious embarrassment.  
  
"Don't be so uptight, Takeru."  
  
"H-h-ha-ha-hai..." Closing her eyes, she muttered,  
  
"I should really take my own advice..."  
  
******  
  
The brunette and the red-head walked alongside Daisuke as he dragged home from school. "Daisuke-kun, what was wrong with Ken-san today?"  
  
"Yeah, he looked really out of it."  
  
"He said he didn't get much sleep...probably was up studying too late."  
  
"Well, you could take some pointers." The brunette grinned, as he growled,  
  
"Are you implying I don't study?"  
  
"I'm not implying it, I'm saying it, because you know for a fact you don't..."  
  
"Fuu!" He folded his arms and pouted. "Well, Rei, what do you think?"  
  
"I think you should be more like Ken-san...oh, he's so kawaii!!!"  
  
"Could you please not swoon while I'm around? It makes me sick..."  
  
"I think Daisuke's jealous..."  
  
"Am not!" he argued, as he glanced up to see Yamato and Taichi approaching. Fuu leaned over to Rei,  
  
"Now Yamato is worth swooning over..." She corrected.  
  
"No way! Ken is soooo much cuter..."  
  
"Are either of you going to fight over me? I'm feelin' neglected ya know..."  
  
"Fine. Daisuke-kun or Taichi-san?"  
  
"Taichi."  
  
"No way! Daisuke-kun's too cute. And he's tanner..." Grinning, Daisuke put his arms around his two school friends.  
  
"Why thank you for giving my already large ego another big boost."  
  
"Anytime, sugar." The red-head winked, and then motioned to Fuu. "But we do have to get moving."  
  
"Awww, my fan club is leaving?"  
  
"Sorry, we've got a lot of work...we'll call you later."  
  
"Sure, later." After a wave, Daisuke finally found himself confronted by Yamato and Taichi. "Hey guys, what's happening?"  
  
"There's a major problem, we just came from Koushiro's..."  
  
"What is it?" The two exchanged glances and Yamato nodded for Taichi to proceed.  
  
"Daisuke, the digital world...it's gone."  
  
******  
  
"Let me get this straight..."  
  
"What's to get straight? Look at my computer screen." Koushiro pointed at the monitor which was flashing a bright red ERROR across the screen. Miyako seemed to not comprehend it.  
  
"But it can't just have....disappeared...can it?"  
  
"Well...it could just be outside interference...which I highly doubt...try opening a digital gate." She pulled out her D-3 and raised it to the screen.  
  
"Digital portal...open!" The light started to engulf her, but suddenly, crackling noises began to erupt.  
  
"Miyako! Stop!" Koushiro tried to reach out to her hand, but sparks began to fly at him and she began to scream.  
  
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"  
  
"Throw down your D-3! Do it now!" With one quick motion, she flung it from her hand and dropped to the floor. Koushiro knelt down next to her and gasped, "are you alright?! I never expected anything like that to happen!"  
  
"Koushiro? I can't believe it...the digital world is..."  
  
******  
  
Takeru and Hikari were dashing towards Koushiro's apartment. "Miyako sounded really frazzled...I wonder what this is all about..." Hikari zoned out, deep in thought,  
  
"This can't be about that dream...no, it's gotta be some minor glitch or something..." They both bounded up the stairs and finally arrived, panting, at Koushiro's front door. After Mrs. Izumi let them both in, they rushed to the room and found everyone else already there with stern looks on their faces. "Mimi-chan? You're here?"  
  
"It was supposed to be a suprise, but the suprise was on us."  
  
"What are you guys talking about? What's going on?"  
  
"Miyako-chan, are those burns on your face?"  
  
"That was from my incompetence. Miyako basically proved my theory that something terrible happened to the digital world. It's vanished." Hikari's heart stopped. The dream! It had to be thousands of screams that had echoed then all died out simultaneously...the thought of it chilled Hikari to the bone,  
  
"Hikari!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"What...what happened to our digimon?" Everyone went silent.  
  
"I can't tell you that...I don't even know what happened, all I know is this is very bad...but there's more."  
  
"Great, can you actually give us some happy news, Koushiro?"  
  
"I would if I could, but I can't..." He brought up an e-mail and explained, "I got this in my inbox moments before it happened...it's a letter from Gennai. Getting to the important part, it basically says 'help, we're in danger, and so are all the worlds.'"  
  
"So what do we do?"  
  
"That's where you guys come in, because I am drawing a blank."  
  
"We can't travel there, that's for sure." Miyako grumbled, "as of right now, there really is nothing we can do." Daisuke growled,  
  
"So we just sit around like a bunch of idiots?! There has to be something we can do!"  
  
"Well, I have a contact that I'm sending the e-mail to. If it's encrypted, this person'll find it."  
  
"This person?"  
  
"They're a well-known hacker on the web, I'm talking elite of the elite. But no one knows who they are, whether they're male or female, or what have you. But this guy is good, and I'm leaving no stone unturned. I'm going to work as best and fast as I can. I just wanted to inform you all of the severity of the situation. Wosrt case scenario...well, I don't even want ot think about it. Best case scenario, I figure this out and we make it right. We'll just have to wait and see..." 


	2. Something Big Is About To Begin

******  
  
"Hey Ken?"  
  
"Yes, Daisuke?"  
  
"Do you...do you really think they're all gone?" Ken looked down at the ground.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what to think..."  
  
"That's never good. You're the better half." Slightly smiling at that, Ken looked up at the horizon.  
  
"Daisuke, have you ever had a dream that felt real?"  
  
"Well, there was the time when I dreamed I ate a marshmellow and..."  
  
"Daisuke..."  
  
"I'm serious! It really happened!" Ken shook his head and laughed,  
  
"Right Daisuke." Glancing at his watch, he sighed, "It's getting late. I better go."  
  
"Ja ne," Daisuke waved as Ken waved back,  
  
"Ja." Stopping for a moment, Daisuke turned back and yelled,  
  
"Oi, Ken, why'd you wanna know about the dream thing?"  
  
"Just curious!" He answered, then ran off to catch his train.  
  
******  
  
"What do you make of it, 'Nii-chan?" Taichi shook his head, keeping his gaze locked on the night sky.  
  
"Hikari, I'm praying that for once in his life, Koushiro is wrong." Nodding, she turned her back on her brother.  
  
*"I guess then we should hope I'm crazy too, huh?"* Clutching her shirt, she regained her composure. "I'm tired...I'm going to get some sleep." Taichi walked over and put his arms around her shoulders.  
  
"Hey, don't worry, alright? Everything'll be ok."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"Oyasumi nasai." He pecked her on the cheek. "Sleep tight."  
  
"Arigato. Oyasumi nasai, 'Nii-chan." Pulling away, she walked over to her bed and flopped down, almost falling asleep instantly. Taichi glanced at his sister, then exited their room, flicking the lights out.  
  
*"That's funny, she's usually up later than I am...guess she really is tired..."*  
  
******  
  
"Hello?" Hikari called, but somehow, no sound came from her throat. Tryong again, she tried louder, "Hello?" and again, there was no sound. As Hikari took in her surroundings, she realized that it wasn't only her producing no sound...no sound was being produced anywhere. The strange black and white checkerboard road appeared below her feet, and she gracefully landed onto the surface. As she began to follow the path, she noticed the sky was gradually becoming lighter. Then, before her appeared a girl clad in a long, flowing red medievil dress with black lacing and trimming. Her long black hair began to fly behind her as the wind started to blow. Seering black eyes pierced through Hikari as she extended a hand towards her. Hesitating, Hikari took a step backwards. Out of nowhere, lightening crashed through the sky, and footsteps approached from behind.  
  
"You don't want to go with her." The girl stated matter-of-factly. "It would be very unwise." Taking another few steps closer, her long, flowing pale blue medival dress which was laced and trimmed with white fluttered at her movement. Silken white hair caressed her shoulder and piercing gold eyes glared at Hikari, "The child of darkness is beckoning you..." Hikari turned to face the darker child, and began walking backwards towards the light one. The child extended her hand towards Hikari and just before Hikari's skin made contact,  
  
"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!"  
  
"Damn alarm clock..." Hikari muttered after smacking it to death. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes. It felt as though she had gotten no sleep at all...  
  
******  
  
Unfaltering, Koushiro still madly clicked at the keyboard as the clock turned to seven. He was without a doubt going to be late-that is, if he was even going to school. His mother rapped on the door, then slid it open. "Izumi Koushiro! You're late for school!"  
  
"I'm not going, Okasa."  
  
"Nani?!" Mrs. Izumi took a step back and after a moment, caught her breath. "You have never missed a day of school in your life!"  
  
"I know, but this is really important. You know...uh...saving the world business..." Taking a deep breath, she began,  
  
"I thought that was over and done with..."  
  
"Well, it was, but I guess that once a chosen one, always a chosen one. This is something only I can do, only I have the computer capabilities and resources..." Holding up a hand, Mrs. Izumi sighed,  
  
"Alright, if you think it's imperitive enough to miss school THIS TIME, then I'll call you out sick. But for your information, I do not appreciate having to lie..."  
  
"I know," Koushiro smiled, "Arigato, Okasa." Not being able to resist, she smiled back, then walked over and kissed him on the forehead.  
  
"Doitashimashite, Kou-chan."  
  
******  
  
Yamato Ishida strummed the chord on his guitar, then sighed and leaned back against his chair. Glancing over at his cell phone, he noticed something lying beside it. Taking his guitar off and resting it to the side, he made his way over to the speaker and blinked in shock. There, lying by itself without the tag, was the crest of friendship. Picking it up, he brushed his fingers over the tiny piece. It was indeed his crest, the symbol for yuujou glistening in the light. Still in disbelief, he dialed his cell phone. "Mushi-mushi? Taichi? I have to ask you something..."  
  
******  
  
"What do you mean you have your crest?!" Taichi scratched his head, and as Yamato was talking, began to search his room. "No, mine isn't anywhere in sight. Are you sure it's your crest?" He listened to the slightly annoyed voice over the phone and defended, "No, I didn't say that, but I uh...well...I dunno...thought maybe it wasn't really your crest...yeah like a replica or aomething..."  
  
"'Nii-chan! Come here a sec!" Hikari's voice called from the kitchen, and as he exited he called back,  
  
"Nani, imouto-chan?"  
  
"You won't believe it! My crest just appeared!" Taichi blinked in shock as she held out her palm with the pink crest in it.  
  
"Hey Yamato? I gotta call you back..."  
  
******  
  
*"I will seduce you..."* From nowhere, a voice echoed through Ken's head while typing at his computer.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
*"You will be under my complete control...you'll be my beautiful puppet..."*  
  
"Nani?! Who are you?!"  
  
*"I'm the one that's coming for you...I'm in your nightmares...come find me, Ichijouji Ken...and I'll release what needs to be free..."*  
  
"What are you talking about?!"  
  
*"You must come to the digital world..."*  
  
"Nanio jigoku?!"  
  
*"That's right...the gate still works..."*  
  
"But Miyako was burnt when sh..."  
  
*"She is not who I need, so therefore I shut the gate to her. You, however, I do need...so come now, save the world with me..."*  
  
"I'm really not sure about this..."  
  
*"What is there to be sure about? You can protect your friends, your family, your world...all you have to do is come to the digital world..."*  
  
"But, Koushiro-san said..."  
  
*"His readouts are acurate to what I wanted him to see...we will use him later as well...but enough chat already. It's time for you to come..."*  
  
"Come where if-?"  
  
*"It is time for you to come..."*  
  
"But...I..."  
  
*"It is time for you to come..."* Transfixed, the words had somehow struck a chord in his head. The back of his neck began to throb, but he brushed the minor pain aside. Reaching for his D-3, he held it up to the monitor. *"That's right, come into my world, it is time for your arrival..."* A dark light was emitted from the computer screen, as he was pulled through the gate...  
  
What will happen next? I'd tell ya if I knew... ^_^ 


	3. The Hunt Is On

"That's so weird, Hikari. Yamato and you both have your crests...I wonder if any of the others do...and if not, why only you guys?"  
  
"I'll make some phone calls, 'Nii-san. Why don't you get some sleep? You were up late last night, weren't you?" Smiling, he rustled the hair on his little sister's head.  
  
"You're too good to me, kid. I think I'll take you up on that offer, I'm exhausted..."  
  
"Good. Sleep tight, 'Nii-chan..."  
  
"Oyasumi nasai, Hikari." He kissed her on the forehead, then trudged into his room. Hikari picked up the cordless and dialed Takeru's number.  
  
******  
  
"This is so weird." Yamato looked at the crests in front of him at the table. The morning sunlight reflected the blue, pink, and red colors onto the wall. Taichi was watching the hues bounce around against the white wall, while Yamato examined the crests. "Hikari, yuujou, ai. Why only our three?"  
  
"No clue." Taichi leaned backwards in his chair. "I don't understand what's been going on lately..."  
  
"Have you heard the voices too?"  
  
"Voices?" Whipping his head around, he sat up abruptly. "What voices? Have you gone off the deep end?" Glaring, Yamato snapped,  
  
"No, I'm not crazy. I just heard these...anguished cries, voices crying out for help...and..."  
  
"And what?" Yamato paused, looked at Taichi and then continued.  
  
"Late last night, when I heard the voices...one of them...was Ken's..."  
  
******  
  
Daisuke knocked on the apartment door, and was startled by it flinging open. Mrs. Ichijouji stood there, panic-striken, but almost glad to see him. "Daisuke-kun, do you know where Ken-chan is?"  
  
"Wha...what?!"  
  
"When I went to get him up for school in the morning, he wasn't in his bed. I thought it might be one of those save the world type things, but he still hasn't come home...please tell me you know where he is..." Daisuke's tan complexion suddenly turned palor.  
  
"No, I don't...we were supposed to meet now to go do our 'saving the world business'..."  
  
"You don't think...he ran away again?!"  
  
"No, Ken wouldn't do that to you...don't worry Mrs. Ichijouji, I'll find him!" He turned and dashed off, leaving her standing in the doorway shaking.  
  
*"What if something happened to him? I couldn't stand to lose him again!"*  
  
******  
  
"Okay, we'll see you soon, hopefully." Hanging up the phone, Hikari, looking distraught, turned to Miyako, Takeru, and Iori. "That was Daisuke..."  
  
"And? What's taking him and Ken so long?"  
  
"Ken's missing."  
  
"WHAT?!" Miyako leaped out of her chair. "What do you mean he's missing?! He can't be missing! He didn't run away again, did he?!"  
  
"Daisuke doesn't know, he just went to Ken's and there was no Ken and Mrs. Ichijouji is worried sick."  
  
"Where could he have gone?" Iori inquired.  
  
"Well, he can't be in the digital world..."  
  
"But where would he go in the real world? And why would he run?" Takeru pointed out, then sighed, "this is great, things just keep getting more and more complicated." The front door opened, as Taichi and Yamato walked in. "'Nii-san?"  
  
"'Nii-chan, what are you doing home? I thought you and the guys were going out tonight."  
  
"There's been a change of plans...Daisuke just called me on my cell." He turned to Yamato and nodded.  
  
"Guys, we have to warn you that Ken might be in big trouble."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's in a lot of pain...I heard his voice last night...it's this thing that's been happening to me..." Hikari's eyes went wide at the mention of the word "voices" and listened intently as he explained what had been going on in his sleep.  
  
"So that's all the more reason we shouldn't be standing around here." A new voice echoed through the apartment, and everyone turned to see Daisuke. "Sorry, the front door was open. But we need to go see Koushiro- san. If Ken's in danger, we have to save him."  
  
"We were getting to that..."  
  
"Well, let's go already!" he demanded impatiently.  
  
"Ok, ok, we're going..." The group jumped up and followed him out the door.  
  
******  
  
"You want me to track him?"  
  
"It's a thought."  
  
"It's worth a shot, although I don't know how well it will work...I haven't tried to track a D-3 before." Koushiro sighed, then turned to the screen. "Also, if he is somehow in the digital world, it might not work at all..."  
  
"Well, you'll never know if you don't try."  
  
"I'm just letting you know that the odds are against us..."  
  
"When aren't they?"  
  
"Good point." Taking a deep breath, he rapidly typed at the computer. Everyone held their breath with their fingers crossed. After a moment, Daisuke demanded,  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Nothing. Not even a faint signal."  
  
"Damnit!" Daisuke kicked the wall, "we're back to square one. We don't even know which world he's in."  
  
"I still say judging by Miyako's attempt, he's not in the digital world. Is there anywhere you can think of that he'd run to?"  
  
"I can't think of any, but we'll canvas the area anyway...Takeru, Hikari-chan, Miyako, Iori, let's go." The four stood up and followed after, leaving Yamato and Taichi with Koushiro.  
  
"This isn't looking good." Koushiro shook his head, then glanced over at the wall. His head snapped up.  
  
"Maybe there's a firewall blocking my efforts...lemme see if I can find a backdoor to it..." The blonde and brunette watched the red-head type furiously and heard a series of beeps. "That's what's been screwing up my computer! There's a virus that I never detected..."  
  
"Can you get rid of it?"  
  
"I'm trying, but I've never seen anything like this...it's amazing..."  
  
"What does it do?"  
  
"It's not really doing much in deleting files or anything...it seems to be copying them however, and blocking any outside signals from being read." Suddenly, the computer began to beep louder, with a growing crescendo of sound. Koushiro's eyes widened as the screen flashed and an electrical charge fired out of the monitor at him, knocking him to the ground.  
  
"Koushiro!"  
  
"Daijoubu ka!" Yamato shook his shoulders, but no response came.  
  
"What the hell was that?!"  
  
"I have no idea..." As Yamato checked all of Koushiro's vitals, he panicked, "Taichi, he's got no pulse!"  
  
"What?!" Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed for an ambulance. "Yes, this is Yagami Taichi, it's a major emergency, I have someone here with no pulse that's been electrocuted..." Yamato had Koushiro laid out on the floor while attempting rescue breathing.  
  
"C'mon Koushiro, hang on!" Yamato looked to Taichi who was "mmhmm"ing to the operator.  
  
"Ok, yes, thank you." He breathed to Yamato, "the ambulance is on its way."  
  
"Let's just hope they make it in time..."  
  
******  
  
"Ken!!" Hikari called, out of breath. Daisuke and Takeru had gone back to the Tamachi district to check some spots, and her, Miyako, and Iori had been left to see if he was anywhere in Odaiba. Taking a breather, she panted, then continued to call for him, searching the general area. *"I hope he's ok..."*  
  
******  
  
"Where could he be?" Miyako, panicked, searched more frantically. "Yamato said he might be hurt...what if he is? What if we don't find him? Ken-kun..." Growling, she clenched her fist, "I won't let that happen and neither will Daisuke...we're going to find you, Ken!" Dashing off, she scouted the area even though it was like searching for a needle in a haystack...  
  
******  
  
*"Give in to me, my fellow kin...give in to your darkest hopes, wishes, and desires. Come to me in all the dark glory that will be yours...and together...we can mold the world into our playground...no, not the world, not just this world...all of the worlds...we can rule them all!"* 


	4. Closer to an answer

AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Wow, I feel so loved...  
  
And a special thanks to Fairy of Golden Radiance and Sylvyr Elf who corrected my stupidity. ^_^ Now Ken-chan's not mad at me anymore...  
  
Ken slowly opened his eyes, with an aching head and throbbing neck welcoming him back to reality. Looking down at his arms, he saw some burns there, but simply laid out onto the floor. He wanted to sleep. Sleep had been so far away...yes, yes, he needed sleep. "Glad that you are awake..."  
  
"What?" Groaning, he looked up to barely make out a figure in the darkness.  
  
"My dear, you have been out for quite awhile...it took one of my mind trances to wake you..."  
  
"Wha...who...who are you? Where am I?"  
  
"You're in a land of your wildest dreams come true..."  
  
"It's dark..."  
  
"Yes, you must rejuvinate the strength within. The dark spore needs to be replenished."  
  
"What?! No!" Grabbing the back of his neck, as though it would do good, he skirted away from her, until he hit a rough surface he assumed was a wall. "No, I will never work for the darkness again!"  
  
"But it is already too late...for if the darkness seduces you once, then forever you are in its grasp." Beginning to push himself up the wall, he growled,  
  
"NO! No, you can't do it to me again! I will fight you by myself, and I will not give into...ARGH!!" A searing pain raced up his neck, and he fell to his knees.  
  
"Oh, I say otherwise, Ken-chan...you shall be on my side, for I have deemed you the one to lead the revolution of darkness..."  
  
"No...no, I-AHHH!" Tears welling in his eyes from the pain, he still tried to get to his feet.  
  
"You're not getting away darling...you will succumb to me..."  
  
"NO I WO-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" The child of darkness laughed at the intense pain running through Ken's body. Screaming violently from it, he fell to the ground, unable to move.  
  
******  
  
The sky had opened up and five sopping wet chosen ones made their way back to Koushiro's apartment. As they approached the door, they found a note tacked to it. Daisuke tore it off and read it aloud, "Was a prob, call Taichi's cell. -Yama"  
  
"Problem? What problem?"  
  
"That's all it says." Pulling out his cell phone, he quickly dialed Taichi's number. "Mushi-mushi. Hai. NANI?!" The others jumped at Daisuke's sudden outburst. "We'll be right there." Clicking off the cell phone, he pocketed it and yelled, "C'mon we hafta get to the hospital."  
  
"Why? Daisuke, what happened?"  
  
"It's Koushiro...they're trying to revive him as we speak. Now come on, let's go!"  
  
******  
  
Yamato and Taichi were staring stone-faced at the wall. "'Nii-chan!"  
  
"'Nii-san!" Their heads turned to see the five younger kids running down the ward towards them. After getting yelled at by hospital security, they finally made their way over.  
  
"How's Koushiro?!"  
  
"Is he okay?!"  
  
"What the hell happened?!"  
  
"He's gonna make it right?!" Loud chaos ensued. Taichi and Yamato calmed them down, and made them take deep breaths.  
  
"Koushiro..." Taichi began, "is fine. They restarted his heart and if all is well, then he can be released tomorrow."  
  
"As to what happened..." Yamato finished, "we're not really sure. An electric charge came out of the computer and electrocuted him."  
  
"But he's ok?" They both nodded.  
  
"That's a relief."  
  
"However, I'm putting an order out." Even Yamato turned to him in suprise. "Order" was not an appropriate word for the leader of the chosen ones, they weren't recruits for the army. Besides, Taichi had never laid down a law of any sort except for the fact he was the leader.  
  
"Taichi, y-"  
  
"No one is allowed to try and enter the digital world. NO ONE. There's too much at stake. Both Miyako and Koushiro were severely hurt by this and we're not chancing it again. In fact...give me your digivices."  
  
"Taichi-san, you're not serious..." He pulled a small bag out and opened it wide.  
  
"I know you all, and I know at least one of you will try it."  
  
"But what if something comes up and we have to cross the digital barrier?!"  
  
"Then it will be put under further review, however, as of right now, I want your digivices."  
  
"You can't just do this! These are ours alone, we're the only ones who..."  
  
"After what happened to Koushiro tonight, do you think I care? I'm not risking anyone else's life for stupidity. Ken could not have crossed a digital barrier, Koushiro came to that conclusion. So he's run away to somewhere in the real world, and eventually he will turn up. Now put your digivices in the bag." Reluctantly, one by one, they placed their D-3's in the bag. Taichi turned to Yamato, "you too."  
  
"What the hell?! I'm not some kid, you can't boss me around!"  
  
"I'm still the one in command here."  
  
"We're not in the army!"  
  
"Well, if I have to run this group like one to protect it, then so be it!" In a move so quick Yamato never detected it, Taichi grabbed his digivice.  
  
"Give me that back right now, damnit..."  
  
"Don't make me kick your ass in a fight to prove I'm right, Yamato."  
  
"Now you've crossed the line, Taichi. You're not a dictator! We're not under your 'command' like we're below you! Now hand out the digivices or else I'll do it for you." Tying the bag to his hip, he folded his arms.  
  
"Go on. I *dare* you."  
  
"You asked for it." Yamato slugged him without a second thought. Much like the fights when they were eleven, this one was intense. But before they saw it coming to stop, security pulled the two apart and escorted them to different exits of the hospital. "I'm gonna get you for this, Taichi!"  
  
"Go on and try! You'll lose anyway..."  
  
"Bastard..." Yamato swore, then realized Taichi still had the bag with the digivices...he had been unable to obtain them during their fight like he had intended. "Shit, I'm gonna kill him..."  
  
******  
  
Hikari paced in the living room. She had just hung up the phone with Daisuke, and Taichi still hadn't come home yet. It was nervewracking. What was she going to say to him? For once, she was at a loss for words. He hadn't acted like her 'Nii-san, Taichi would have never reacted on his own like he did. Or would he? Did she really just not know her brother? Sighing, her mind wandered as the front door opened. The sudden noise startled her, and she almost jumped as Taichi marched right past her into their room. She stared at the door for a little while, then made her way towards it. Softly, she inquired, "'Nii-san, daijoubu ka."  
  
"I'm fine, leave me alone."  
  
"If that's what you wish, than alright..." Turning her back to the door, she thought to herself, *"Something is definitely wrong...I know it..."*  
  
******  
  
Squinting, Koushiro tried to blink his eyes open. This was unsuccessful, being as the white lights were too bright for him. "My head..." he groaned.  
  
"You feeling a little better, Koushiro-san?" He turned his head to the side and squinted, seeing Daisuke sitting beside the bed.  
  
"Daisuke? What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came to see if you were up and uh...thought it would be nice if someone waited until you woke up."  
  
"You came to ask me if Ken can be in the digital world."  
  
"What? I-"  
  
"I have a theory about that, if you'd like to hear it."  
  
"Can you put it in terms I can understand?"  
  
"I can try."  
  
"Then go for it."  
  
"Well, I told Taichi-san and Yamato-san it was practically impossible to travel at this point in time. However, it might not be that it's impossible to travel, but it's impossible for *us* to travel."  
  
"I'm not following."  
  
"Let's look at it this way. Miyako and I were both hurt when we tried to use the digital gate, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Well, hypothetically, if Ken tried to use it, was he hurt?"  
  
"Probably, being as we haven't found him."  
  
"Or, maybe...you can't find him because he can't be found...not in this world at least."  
  
"So wait, then Ken did go to the digital world?" Slowly nodding, he finished,  
  
"Not only that, but I know there's something here we're not seeing...and the answer's probably right in front of our faces too..."  
  
******  
  
Hikari paced in the living room. There was an answer everyone was missing. There had to be. Stopping dead in her tracks, she swore she heard something. Glancing around quickly, she saw she was alone. At another sound, she froze in place. They were distinctly footsteps. Looking back at the door to her room, she jumped at the sight of a girl standing there, mouthing something. "Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" The girl insistantly pointed to her room, then vanished. Hikari stood there in shock, then made her way through the door. Taichi was sleeping soundly on his bed. She scanned the room, noting there was nothing out of the ordinary. Once again, there was the sound of footsteps, followed by the girl appearing. Frantically pointing at the computer, the girl was mouthing words quicker now. "You want me to go through the digital gate?" Hikari whispered. A nod followed by more mouthed words was the response. "But...Miyako and Koushiro were harmed..." The girl pointed at Hikari and shook her head no. "Not me? I won't be hurt?" The girl's eyes brightened, and she nodded. Considering it, Hikari glanced over at her brother lying on his bed. The sack containing the D-3s was clutched in his hand. Turning back to the girl, she saw she had once again disappeared. Hikari glanced between the sack and the computer monitor. What was she going to do?  
  
******  
  
Daisuke pondered in his mind Koushiro's words, *"...the answer's probably right in front of our faces too..."* He was going to find that answer. Glancing up at the sky, he noticed the stars weren't out tonight. Sighing, he continued walking, not really knowing where he was going. As he realized where he was, he sent a message to Hikari's D-terminal:  
  
Hikari, you still up? -Daisuke  
  
He tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for an answer. His D-terminal beeped:  
  
Daisuke, Hikari's not here. -Taichi  
  
Perplexed, he sent another message:  
  
But I talked to her not even an hour ago on the phone...where was she going this late?  
  
The reply came back:  
  
Daisuke, I just realized Hikari's D-3 is missing... 


	5. As Darkness Ensues

AN: Sorry for the long wait guys, but you know ff.net had it's upload features off and stuff. This chapter is kinda fast-paced, I hope I don't lose anybody here. It's just that a billion things are all happening at once to our loveable cast to make their lives miserable. DUN DUN DUN!!! Enjoy ^_^

Jyou walked into his apartment, slipping off his shoes and tossing his briefcase down. Rubbing his head, he sighed, "What a day..." Work had not been going well, especially since he hated his desk job. True, he wasn't exactly a "field" worker, but even he couldn't stand being boxed in a cubicle for seven hours straight. He strolled into the kitchen, and clicked on the light, then jumped as he saw Ken sitting at the table. "Ken! Geez, you scared me..."

"I'm so sorry, sempai, I didn't mean to."

"How did you get in here?"

"The door was unlocked. I needed to talk to you, so I let myself in, I figured you wouldn't mind..."

"No, not at...wait a sec! You're missing! Everyone's in a panic looking for you!"

"I know, sempai. And I'm very sorry about it, but I can't come back. I'm...trapped...so to speak."

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't felt it yet?"

"Felt what?"

"Have you been more irritable lately, perhaps more irrational?"

"Well...at work...I was...yes, I was, how did you know?" Ken smiled softly.

"Because it's taking effect. All you need is one last step." He rose from his chair at the table and approached Jyou calmly.

"One last step for what?"

"For this." Ken touched Jyou's shoulder, who immediately screamed in pain. Falling to the ground, Jyou twitched fiercely. 

"You..." Laughing, Ken stepped over Jyou and closed the apartment door behind him.

******

"She didn't just...run away too, did she?!"

"Taichi-san, I think Hikari-chan's in the digital world."

"No way, she wouldn't defy me, she'd never..."

"But Koushiro-san said Ken is in the other world. And I'm assuming wherever Ken is, Hikari is..." A stern look coming over his face, he growled,

"She went against what I said?" Grabbing the bag and ripping it open, he threw Daisuke's D-3 at him. "Open the gate."

"What?! Didn't you say-"

"That was before my own sister turned traitor! Now open the gate!" Gulping, Daisuke took his 

D-3 and held it up to the monitor. Would he be transported or would he be electrocuted too? The thought made his stomach churn. His hand shook as he commanded with a quiver, "Digital gate, open!"

******

When Hikari had fully come through the gate, she almost screamed when she saw how high up in the air she was. Realizing that she was floating, she tried to find something to grab onto, in case this wore off. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything remotely tall in sight. After a moment, she began to sink down towards the ground. It was a very slow and gradual decent, and she lightly touched her feet to the floor once she was close enough. Searching the surrounding area, a perplexed look came across her face. Where the hell was she? The sky was a purplish color, with a sun and moon practically merging together. The ground wasn't grass, rather a black and white checked tile. The tiled way seemed to stretch forever, but only was four squares wide. Deciding looking down to see what was below would be a very bad thing, Hikari began to follow along the road. As she cautiously stepped along it, a glint of recognition struck her mind... *"I've seen this place before...in my dream!"*

******

Yamato tossed in his bed, shivering. Unbeknownst to him, Sora was doing the exact same thing. There was a bond that they could both feel. Someone was in danger. The chill rose and simultaneously, they bolted up in bed. Panting, the chill grew even worse...it grew almost...unnaturaly. Both reaching for the phone, they dialed two separate numbers...

******

"Mimi-chan..."

"Sora-chan? Are you ok?"

"Mimi-chan, there's something really wrong...I can feel it..."

"So-"

"Someone's in danger, I know it!"

"Who?"

"I don't..." the phone slipped from Sora's grasp, as she fell to the floor, Mimi's concerned voice coming from the reciever,

"Sora-chan?! Sora-chan?! Are you there?! Sora-chan!!!"

******

"C'mon, Taichi, pick up..." The phone continued to ring, but there was no answer. Where could he be at this hour in the morning? Shaking his mass of blonde hair, he sighed and hung up the phone. It was probably nothing anyway, right? That coldness swept over him once more and he decided he wasn't crazy. Grabbing the phone again, he dialed Taichi's number...only to find that his brain had stopped functioning...he tumbled to the floor, hitting his head hard against the wood...

******

Still practically screaming into the phone, Mimi was pale as a ghost. "Sora-chan?! What the hell am I supposed to do over here in America?!" Mimi panicked, pacing her room. "I know! I'll call her house line, and tell her mom to check on her. Kami-sama, I hope nothing is really wrong and I'm just overreacting..." Taking a deep breath, and hoping hanging up on Sora wasn't the wrong thing to do, she clicked the reciever and dialed Sora's house line. A groggy voice answered the phone.

"Mushi-mushi..."

"Ms. Takenouchi? This is Mimi...I know this sounds crazy, but could you please check on Sora?"

"Check on Sora?"

"I heard a thud and she didn't answer me on the phone..." A heavy sigh echoed through the phone, and the rustling of getting out of bed could be heard.

"I hope you're exaggerating Mimi-chan..." Setting the phone aside, she waited a moment, then heard what she dreaded to hear. "Kami-sama, Sora-chan!!!" As Mimi's stomach churned worse, she suddenly had a very bad feeling. Someone else was hurt. Glancing over at her crest that had appeared on her nightstand the prior night, the feeling didn't recede. Hanging up the phone on Sora's mom, she quickly dialed Yamato's line...

******

*"There's someone here...I can feel it..."* Hikari's eyes darted nervously, scanning the area. She did not notice the figure hovering above her, reaching out a hand to her shoulder. The icy skin made contact, and she jumped, spinning around to find herself looking into violet eyes. Very familiar violet eyes... "Ichijouji-kun?!"

"Sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's ok, but I'm so glad you're alright! We've all been so worried!"

"I know, I'm sorry, but I was taken here against my will. I just managed to get this far, when I saw you here." 

"Well, I was brought here I'm guessing to find you, so let's get out of here." She turned to look for a gate of some sort when she felt an arm slide around her waist from behind, pulling her back into his chest. Eyes wide in shock, the other hand reached over to tilt her chin up gently. 

"Gomen nasai, demo..." He looked over her shoulder hungrily and grinned, "I can't let you go anywhere...I need your energy..." Kissing her collarbone gently, Hikari almost screamed. 

"Ken, what are you doing?!" Something sharp began to pierce into her skin, and her eyes began to slide closed. Falling to her knees, she caught a glimpse of a child running towards her in a renassaince dress...

******

Pacing back and forth in the lobby of the hospital, Taichi's mind was screaming, *"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?!"* Pulling at his brown hair, he let out a cry of frustration. *"A coma! He's in a coma and it's all your fault! He may never wake up! You have to face Jun, Mr. and Mrs. Motimiya when they get here. It's all your fault!!!"* Hitting his head against the wall, he sighed, fighting back any sign of tears that were starting to well in his eyes. But his attention was distracted when he noticed a familiar carrot-topped female being wheeled by on a stretcher. "Sora...?" Taking a final glance at Daisuke through the window, he then turned and dashed after the nurse wheeling Sora away...

******

Koushiro felt a wave of nasea pass over him as he laid on his back in his bed. Sitting up, he began to hack furiously. Wiping his mouth with his arm, he stopped to examine it. Shocked, he realized that he had been coughing up blood. Falling over to the side a bit, he slid out of bed to find that his left arm was heavily weighted for some odd reason. Lifting it to his face, he didn't know how to react. With his good hand, he pinched his cheek to see if he was dreaming. When he discovered to his dismay that he wasn't, his stomach churned. His left hand was now completely made of stone...

******

"You look suprised...almost...shocked..." Ken folded his arms. The black haired girl was cradling Hikari in her arms. "You know your power is weak compared to your counterpart...give it up already..." Silently, the child clad in red held a hand over Hikari, and a silverish light began to shine. "I'll leave you to try and fix that...if you can..." Snickering, Ken vanished and his voice lingered a moment longer, "I have business to take care of..."

******

Great. One more person in the hospital. Now he had Daisuke, Sora, AND Yamato incapacitated. On the edge of a nervous breakdown, a voice called to him. "Taichi-san?" Turning, he gasped as Ken approached him. 

"Ken! You're ok?!"

"I've never been better, Taichi-san. But you know, you look really stressed...I believe I can help you with that..." Reaching out to touch his shoulder, Ken grasped on tightly. Pain escalated through Taichi's body, and as Ken released him, he couldn't help but to scream as he fell over onto one of the waiting chairs. Ken placed his hands in his pockets and simply strolled away nonchalantly as chaos errupted behind him. "Only one more to go...and then, the light will fall as darkness ensues..."


	6. Still Searching

Yesh, I am back for now! Sorry about taking so long with this, but my computer broke and even though I had chapter six ready, I had no means of putting it up. -_-() But here it is, along with chapter seven! YAY! So, once again, sorry and enjoy!

Yamato blinked his eyes open. Shit, did his head hurt. Managing to sit up, he groaned as he rubbed his temporal lobe. "Yamato?" He turned to where the voice had come from, and found Sora lying in the bed next to him.

"Sora?"

"It happened to you too, didn't it?" His eyes widened a bit.

"The chill? And then passing out?" She nodded. He growled and clenched his fist, "Something is definitely going on here...and I really don't like it."

"Someone's in danger. That's what that was." Yamato nodded his head in agreement.

"But the question is who?"

******

It took awhile for Hikari to regain her senses. When she finally awoke, she saw the dark-haired child looking down on her in concern. She gasped, and sat up fully. "You...saved me?" A nod was the only response. "Who are you?" The girl looked like she was going to say something, but nothing came from her lips. "What is your name?" A hand reached over and touched her forehead gently.

~I am the child of light.~ Hikari looked at her in suprise.

"You're the child of light?"

~Yes. Despite appearances, I hold the key to the realm of light.~

"Realm of light?"

~You are in the realm of light and darkness, where the two meet. I am keeper of the realm of light. She is the keeper of darkness.~

"She? You mean the other girl?" The child of light nodded.

~I desperately need your help, Hikari...unfortunately, that boy...he drained you of your power.~

"What? Ichijouji-kun...what?"

~Look at your crest.~ Reaching into her pocket, and pulling out the crest of light, she stared in shock. No longer was it shining a bright pink, but rather, it was now a dull brown.

"How can I get my power back?"

~I am not sure. You could try getting one of the other light bearers to aid you.~

"Light bearers?" She thought for a moment. "You mean the other chosen ones?"

~Not all of them. Unfortunately, some of them have been taken. The child of darkness has their hearts.~

"She has their hearts? How can that be?"

~The hearts of the chosen are strong, however easily vulnerable because of how pure they are. She has the power to remove all sense of one's heart with her creation the dark spore.~

"Dark spore...it must be the same kind Ichijouji-kun had...she's the creator of them?" Hikari looked dispondent. What was she going to do? 

~You must go back to your realm, and find another light bearer. One of them can recharge your crest. However, you must hold onto it at all costs. The moment you lose your crest, is the moment she can implant a dark spore in you. All it takes is one second...and they are more powerful then ever now that the number of hosts is growing...~ 

"The number of hosts is growing? Do you mean to tell me more people have dark spores in them?!" A portal slowly opened behind her, and Hikari gasped. 

~Quickly now, you can stop him. Before it's too late, stop that boy. I believe in you. I wouldn't have called for you if I didn't. Now please go, and recharge your crest. You are essential to ending this all...~ Hikari was pulled into the gate, and moments later found herself on the floor in her bedroom.

******

"Stay away!" Takeru growled, and pushed Ken away from him. "Ichijouji-kun, I mean it, I'll..."

"You'll what? Hurt me? Are you capable of it, Takeru?" The younger boy found his arms restrained somehow. Suprised, he turned his head to the side.

"Jyou-sempai?!"

"It'll be fine soon, Takeru."

"Don't worry about it. You'll be one of us..." Taichi smirked, and patted the younger boy on the head.

"Taichi-san...you too?"

"Of course. The whole good guy thing is so overrated..." He reached into Takeru's pocket, and pulled out his crest. Takeru's eyes widened. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain running throughout his body as Jyou held him.

"I...won't...give in!!!" He screamed, fighting desperately, but the pain was too much. His eyes slowly closed, and he slumped foward. 

"Excellent. We have all the pawns we need to begin." Ken smirked. "It's perfect...the children of light will fall to their knees." Jyou and Taichi nodded in agreement, and the child of darkness appeared. Making her way over to Takeru's limp form, she grinned,

"Perfect." Gracefully stroking the back of his neck, a bar code of markings appeared. Takeru wearily opened his eyes.

"Takeru, daijoubu ka..."

"Hai..." He shook his head a bit, and raised it to look at the others. "I need a moment to pull myself together."

"Don't worry, it took us all a little bit of time."

"I'm ok though. Just anxiously awaiting to hear the children of light scream..." A cynical smile tweeked at the edge of Takeru's lips, and the others laughed in agreement.

"Now that I have the perfect team, let's say we go kill the light bearers, shall we?"

"Sounds like a splendid idea..."

******

Miyako's D-terminal was beeping like crazy. "Ok, ok, I'm coming!" Grumbling, she snatched it up. It took her a couple minutes to read all of the messages she had missed. "HOLY SHIT HOW DID I MISS ALL OF THIS?!" 

"It's because you've been so insistent on finding Ken-san." Iori provided. "I tried to tell you, but..."

"ARGH! How am I going to fix this?!" The phone rang, and she rushed to pick it up. "Whoever you are, tell me you have good news."

"Miyako-chan, I need your help." Miyako blinked, and recognizing the voice responded,

"Hikari-chan?! I got a message saying you were missing!"

"I was in another realm. With Ichijouji-kun. But we have to hurry, we need to stop him before he gets to the others!"

"Wh-wh-what? Stop him from what?"

"The dark spore has been reactivated." Miyako gasped, and for a moment, couldn't say anything. Hikari continued, "Apparently, he's attaining new hosts as well." Clenching her fists with resolve, without hesitation she asked,

"What do you need me to do?"

******

Yamato waited until the nurses had finally left the large room. The sheets were drawn separating him and Sora. "Hey, Sora, do you have your clothes with you?"

"Yes, they're in the suitcase under my bed. Mom dropped some off."

"Get changed, now." He heard the rustle of sheets by her, and quickly reached for his own clothes. As soon as he was done changing, the curtain pulled back, and Sora was dressed and ready to go. Yamato looked to make sure the nurses were gone for everyone else, then waved for Sora to follow. They waited a moment, and then walked non-chalantly out of the room. They mock casually talked, until a doctor yelled, 

"Hey! Stop those two! They're my patients!" Exchanging looks, he commanded,

"Split up!" and dashed to the right, while she kept running straight. Yamato rounded the corner, and flew down the hall to the end near where the elevator was. He pressed the down button for it to stop on the current floor, and then dashed up the stairs. By the time the staff in pursuit reached the elevator, the doors were shutting, and they all rushed down the stairs to try and catch him. Yamato watched them all run downstairs, then followed after as quietly as he could manage. While the staff was waiting by the elevator, he ran right past them out the front doors to freedom.

Meanwhile, Sora had chosen to duck into a patient's room. It had looked empty, and she closed and locked the door behind her. 

"Um, may I help you?" She spun around to see a girl in a wheelchair in the far corner. 

"Oh, I'm really sorry, I thought this room was empty! Please let me stay here just for a moment."

"What are you running from?"

"The hospital staff." The girl grinned.

"Try the fire escape. I'll cover for you." 

"Thank you so much! I owe you big time." As she began to climb out the window, she stopped, "what's your name?" The brunette, who had chunks of light brown and blonde streaks in her hair replied,

"It's Mara. And keep hold of your um, crest thing. It will save you."

"Excuse me?" The running began to come closer, and Mara scolded,

"Hurry up, and just remember what I said!"

"But how-"

"Just go!" Sora hesitated, but then descended down the fire escape. Landing on the ground, she reached a hand into her pocket and pulled out her crest. "How did she know I grabbed this?" Shaking it off, she hurriedly pushed it back in. As she ran off, she decided she needed to tell Taichi about what she had just heard.

******

Miyako was pacing in her room on the phone. "Mimi-san, come on, come on, pick up!" When there was no answer, she hung up and quickly dialed her cell phone. "Man, I'm gonna get killed for this phone bill…" Still nothing. "Kuso! Where could she be at a time like this?!"

"Miyako-san, please calm down."

"Sorry, Iori, I'm getting frustrated…what if while I'm staying here trying to get a hold of Mimi-san something else happens?"

"Hikari-san asked you to stay here, so you should really…"

"Kuso! My damn computer program still isn't working!!!" Iori blinked, in the second he had begun to speak, Miyako had shot off into her room. She was ferociously 'fixing' her computer by repeatedly kicking it over and over again, "Work, damnit, WORK!"

"Miyako-san, I don't really think that will help..." Iori winced. 

"IT-HAS-TO!!!" The computer beeped, and suddenly, a flash appeared on a map on the monitor. Miyako and Ioris' jaws dropped. "IT WORKED!" She quickly dialed Koushiro's number. "Wait until Izumi-sempai hears this, he'll be thrilled I got it to work!" As she waited, her face began to slacken its grin. "Now he's missing too?" Hanging up the phone, she turned to Iori. "Can you stay here and watch the tracker? So when Hikari-chan calls at least someone can give her a heads up?" He nodded,

"I will, but please be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." She grabbed her jacket and dashed out the door. Iori took the cordless and sat it by the computer, then hopped into the desk chair, watching the monitor. The dot seemed to be moving in this direction, but at a rather slow rate. There was another approaching Hikari's direction, and the rest of the dots were stationary there. 

"This is interesting…more and more dots are gathering by Hikari-san's…I wonder…" Iori picked up the phone and dialed Hikari's number.

"Moshi-moshi, Hikari desu."

"Hikari-san, who's there with you?"

"Yamato-san and Sora-san, why?"

"Because it says you have digivices in your vicinity."

"Miyako-chan got the program to work?!"

"Just a few moments ago. She went to get Izumi-sempai."

"Alright, we'll be expecting them. Any sign of Ichijouji-kun?"

"There's one dot heading this way and one heading towards you. I don't know which one is which."

"We'll be on the look-out. Call me if anything else comes up."

"I will." After hanging up the phone, Iori watched the screen intently. "Although this is pretty boring…"


	7. A New Twist

The child of light stood atop a jagged point, overlooking everything. Her long black hair rustled a bit as she stared down into a dark hole below her. The purplish sky was beginning to fade into a midnight blue as the pit began to stretch wider. ~It won't be much longer now…~ 

"BOO!" A slight shove almost sent her tumbling over the edge, but she caught her balance in the knick of time. "What's the matter, did I scare you?" The child of darkness smugly grinned, "You should be scared. Four have fallen. And the one who can save them will be terminated shortly. She looked down at the pit. "Quite lovely isn't it? When one is thrown in there, they cannot return unless they have enough hope to overcome the darkness…but if someone could survive the mental anguish it puts you through…they'd deserve to be free…" The child of light shot a glare at her. "Want to test it out? Or maybe I should throw that girl in there first. Hikari, isn't it? Ironic name. If I throw her in there, then your hopes would be lost…what do you have to say to that?" The child of light grasped the one of darkness's arm and continued to glare,

~You shall never win. Are you so foolish?! The balance must be upheld at all costs.~

"No my dear, the darkness can exist without the light. It is you who cannot exist without I." With a cackle, she leapt into the air, "Oh, and I'd start saying your prayers now. Once I have all the light bearers, then you shall not only bow to me, but experience despair at it's extreme…" Vanishing, she left the child of light stunned.

~Hikari, you must stop her…it all depends on you…~ 

******

As Hikari was in mid-sentence, the front door flew open. A panting pink-haired girl stood in front of them, clutching to the wall. "Minna…I came…as fast…as I could…" 

"Mimi-chan?!" She nodded, slipped off her shoes, and ran to embrace Sora.

"I was so worried, I hopped on the fastest flight!"

"I'm ok, it's nothing."

"I'm so glad you're alright!" Mimi hugged her tightly, and Sora warmly smiled and hugged her back.

"I hate to break up the reunion, but we need to get moving." As the two pulled apart, Sora asked,

"But where do we start?"

"Now that we know the one dot was Mimi, I'm sure the other is Ken." Yamato explained. 

"Right, so we have to move towards Miyako's house."

"Mimi-chan, do you by chance have your crest?" 

"Right here." She touched the pocket of her blouse. Sora nodded approvingly, and Mimi questioned, "Why?"

"You need to hold onto that. They can overpower you with darkness if you don't…and then you'll have a dark spore implanted in you." Hikari explained, and Mimi gulped,

"Charming."

"But wait, how do you suppose we approach this? If Ken's trying to get us to turn, then aren't we playing into his hands? We don't have digimon to back us up. So how will this work?" Silence.

"Well, we can't just stand around here!" Yamato growled, "I mean, c'mon, we have to do something."

"But what? Hikari-chan's crest wouldn't charge by either of us." 

"Charge?" Pulling it out, Hikari showed Mimi her darkened crest.

"Ichijouji-kun drained the energy from the crest. I can't use light to stop him…"

"Well then, let me try." Mimi took it and looked at it for a moment. Taking out her crest, she tried touching them together. She tried to fit them together, rubbed them, almost broke them, and then sighed, defeated. "Guess it's not for me to do. But if not me, then who?" The phone rang, and Hikari picked it up,

"Moshi-moshi, Hikari-desu." There was a pause, and Hikari paled a bit. "We'll be right over." Hanging up the phone, she announced, "There's something wrong with Koushiro-san, and Miyako-chan says we need to get over there, now."

******

Iori watched the dot that was seemingly getting closer. Slightly nervous, he picked up the phone to try and call Hikari, only he noticed the dots from her section were moving. Setting the phone back down, he watched the dot some more. It seemed to be really close now. In fact, it was almost as close as-

The doorbell rang. Iori slid off the chair and walked into the living room. Looking out the peephole, he saw Takeru standing there. Breathing a sigh of relief, he opened the door, "Takeru-san, where have you been? We haven't gotten any messages from you for awhile…"

"I know, sorry about that Iori. Didn't mean to worry you."

"Come in, Miyako-san went to go talk to Izumi-sempai. I'm the only one here."

"I see." He stepped over the threshold, closed the door with his foot, and smiled. "Ne, Iori, what kind of creature of darkness scares you?"

"Creature of darkness?"

"You know, like a werewolf, or a-"

"Vampires." He shuddered a bit. "Why do you ask?"

"Really? Vampires. Hm, how interesting." 

"Takeru-san, you're really starting to make me nervous…"

"Oh am I?" He grinned, showing slight fangs. Iori's eyes widened and he dashed for Miyako's room, where the phone was. However, Taichi greeted him in front of the desk.

"Hey there Iori, how's it going?" His cynical smile revealed fangs as well.

"Leave me alone!" He went to run, but was grabbed by two pairs of arms.

"We obviously can't do that…"

"You'll tell the others what we've become…" 

"Jyou-sempai…Ichijouji-san…"

"Takeru, go on, have the first feast." Ken smiled maliciously. Takeru knelt down to Iori's height, grabbed him by the head and tore it to the side, clamping his jaw onto his collarbone.

"AHHHH!!!" The small boy screamed so much he was crying, but eventually, he fell forward, gray encompassing his body. Takeru paused as energy crackled around him, then faded.

"One down, and oh so many more to go…"

******

Miyako rushed to the door and flung it open for the four to enter. "It's…it's…I've never seen anything like it!" They hurried to Koushiro's room, where he was standing rigidly upright. 

"Koushiro?" 

"Yamato-san, Mimi-san, Sora-san, Hikari-san…" He sighed heavily. "I'm afraid I can't be of much assistance." He was straining to look over his, and then turned his head back to the front.

"What's wrong with you, why can't you turn around?" Yamato walked around to the front of him. His eyes widened as he began, "Kami-sama, nanio jigoku?!"

"That's what I want to know…"

"What is it?" As everyone filed around, they gasped to see Koushiro half-turned into a statue. From his legs to his chest, he was completely stone.

"But…"

"HOW?!" 

"I don't know, and sparatically, the stone would spread a bit more. I have no idea what started it or how to cure it."

"So what do we do?"

"We keep getting backed into corners…"

"We should call Iori and see how much time we'll have until Ichijouji-kun approaches. We should send someone over there, too."

"I forgot all about that in the rush…" Sora lowered her head. Miyako grabbed Koushiro's phone and punched in the number to her home. When no one picked up, she felt a churning in her stomach.

"There's no answer." They all exchanged glances.

"Try the D-terminal." Miyako nodded, and e-mailed him. After a few moments, a response came up, 

"Oh, good, I was so wor-"

"What is it?" Hikari looked over her shoulder and covered her mouth. "Kami-sama…"

"Iori bit the dust and it's your turn next. Can't wait to see you in a few. –Takeru." Miyako read for the group to hear.

"Takeru?!" Yamato grabbed it from her hands and scanned the message. He immediately sent a severely pissed off threat to whoever was using his brother's name. A moment later another message appeared, and he read aloud, "I'm not lying and when my face is the last thing you see before you die maybe then you'll realize it…" Choking down his mix of anger, resentment and disbelief, he found no words came to his mouth. The D-terminal slip from his fingers, and fell to the ground.

"I don't believe this." It beeped again, and Hikari hesitantly reached over, picking it up. "Hikari-chan you better be there…your energy is the best of all. And once you fall, all will fall…signed Ichijouji-kun…"

"Do we hide?"

"We can't leave Koushiro here!"

"But how do we fight them?!"

"Don't worry about me, get out of here!"

"No way, we won't sacrifice anyone. Besides, there's only two of them versus the five of us. We outnumber them, they can't possibly get us."

"I hope you're right, Yamato-san."

"I better be right because if I'm wrong, then we're royally screwed…"


End file.
